Conscious Dream
by Lychee Green Tea
Summary: Post series, preCoS. Edward Elric and Alfons Heiderich continue their work on rocketry while a woman falls in love with Edward. Years later, Edward wants nothing but to die but rethinks it when a little girl causes him to move forward. EdWin, Royai
1. Vielen Dank

Alright, this is my first attempt at an FMA story with an actual plotline. I hope you guys like this! It's after the anime series and this story takes place instead of Conqueror of Shamballa. Hmm...not much to say except to enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not in any way own Fullmetal Alchemist. If you try to sue me go ahead, but it'll be like squeezing out an apple from a rock. Seriously.

Please read and review!!! I really like critisisms to see what I did wrong. I don't really care if you flame me, just give me a reason why you don't like it.

**Chapter 1: Vielen Dank**

_Munich, Germany 1924_

Alfons Heiderich led Edward Elric through the streets of Munich. Twisting through the mass amount of people and stalls on the sides of the roads, they had finally arrived at the coffee shop not too far from the factory they worked in.

Edward was relieved that he was finally out of the cold. His automail just couldn't quite handle the cold in Germany like it had in Amestris. He glanced around their surroundings and noticed Alfons immediately smiling and waving his hand in the air. He turned towards the person Alfons was so excited to see and immediately his jaw dropped.

"Julia! It's so nice to see you again, how've you been?" Alfons asked in a polite manner.

"Well, not too bad really, but Natalie and I have been barely managing lately. I'm glad to see you're alive and well after everyone got split up in the war." Julia replied.

"Oh right, I'm sorry. I totally forgot my manners for a second there." Alfons chuckled as he turned towards Ed who still held the gaping mouth. "This is Edward Elric. We became friends after we studied rocketry together with Hermann Oberth and he shares an apartment with me now. And this is Julia Heiderich, she's my cousin. Although our family got split up before the war, I recently found her working here in Munich…Ed? Is something wrong?" Alfons asked as he suddenly became aware of Ed's gaping mouth.

"Err, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Elric." Julia offered as she reached a hand out to shake. Edward finally realized that breathing was essential to life, and he reached his hand out to shake hers.

"Winry…?" Edward asked himself, although Julia and Alfons had heard it and they both held very confused looks. "I'm sorry. The pleasure's mine. But please, call me Ed, Miss Heiderich." He responded. Ed instantly blushed when she giggled and gave Alfons a smile.

"You're such a gentleman. Please, call me Julia." She replied. Ed didn't know how to respond to the compliment, seeing as compliments were never given to him as a child. They were more like snide remarks about his height. It was a good thing he had gotten taller since he crossed The Gate so at least people wouldn't call him short on their first meetings anymore.

They had picked a table for three after ordering their coffee. Julia and Alfons reminisced about their childhood while they sipped at their coffee, Ed just sat there dazed and in his own world…again. It felt so nice being with Winry and his brother. _No…_ He scolded himself yet again for the mistake. _My brother had brown eyes. This Alfons…Alfons Heiderich, has blue. _Ed then glanced over at Julia at the thought of a pair of ocean blue eyes, and he noticed that Julia had emerald green eyes. He sighed and his eyes lingered to his own coffee. It had been like this for three years. Mixing up the people in this world with his own world, and he was stupid to be fooled by it. It was such a nuisance, constantly living through a dream.

Ed abruptly sat up which caused startled looks on Julia and Alfons. He pulled out his wallet and put down enough money on the table to pay for all three of their drinks and left the coffee shop.

"Sorry about Ed. He's always like that." Alfons apologized.

"Do you know why?" Julia asked with a worried expression on her face. Her eyes lingered over the door where Ed had just left a minute prior. Alfons sighed and rested his head on his chin as he sipped his coffee.

"It's because he's always fantasizing about some other world." Alfons answered. He sighed and took one last gulp. Julia followed his lead and they both pulled their coats back on. It was, after all, February and was a little chilly. "It was nice seeing you again Julia, but I've gotta run back to the factory now. Ed should probably be there too, but you never really know with that guy." Alfons said as they departed the coffee shop. Julia waved good-bye as well and walked off in another direction.

Julia walked towards the street where she had shared a small house with her best friend. She noticed a shop to the side with the sign 'Tools for Mechanics' and she decided to walk in. Looking around, all the men eyed her weirdly as she browsed around the aisles with sparking eyes and a big smile.

"Julia?" She heard from behind her. She had recognized the voice right away since she just saw Ed not too long ago.

"Oh, hello there Edward." Julia replied with another smile of hers. "What are you doing here?"

"I think I should be the one asking you that question. I'm here picking up a few parts for Alfons and me for the rocket. I wouldn't know why you would be here though." Ed explained. Julia just sneered at him in response, which left Ed utterly confused. "What did I say?"

"You're like the other men in this country. You can't believe women can do anything except cook and care for children, let alone be a mechanic." Julia said with much disdain.

"Whoa, hang on there! I didn't say anything like that. In fact, one of the greatest mechanics I've ever known was a woman." Ed said, trying to defend himself for being wrongly accused. Julia let go of her scornful look and now her emerald green eyes stared back into his gold orbs. Finally, a smile lit up.

"Really?" She asked all too hopefully.

"Yeah. Out of all my travels none of the mechanics I've met were as good as her. She was the best." Ed replied with a wistful look in his eyes. A rare smile actually appeared on his lips, but it was so small Julia could barely make it out.

"Wow! Look at this, I've read all about these but I've never seen one up close! How do they work?" Julia exclaimed as she rushed over to something in the corner.

Ed mentally laughed to himself seeing at how Julia was so similar to…_her_. His mind abandoned the laughter once _they_ were once again on his mind. He knew it wouldn't last long until he thought about his own world again. His home.

After he paid for all the supplies he walked out with Julia back onto the busy street. Ed decided to walk the longer way to the factory instead of taking the shortcut like Alfons had. So he ended up walking with Julia part way to the factory.

"You know, if you're so much into mechanics then why don't you stop by the factory tomorrow? I'll show you around if you'd like." Ed offered.

"Really? Wow, thank you so much! No one's ever offered me anything like that!" Julia exclaimed, although another thought popped up into her head a second later. "But, what about Alfons? He gets a little bit overprotective, and I don't think he'll like me around mechanics too much…" She trailed off. Ed just stared at her like she was crazy.

"Don't worry about it, I'll talk to him. Besides, you shouldn't let him boss you around; he's only your cousin after all. I swear; women in this country always do what they're told by men. You should just do what you want. We can't really do much to stop you…uhh, why are you stopping?" Ed asked as he realized Julia had stopped, making him walk a little bit ahead of her. He turned around to look back at her. She stopped right in front of a small, cozy house which looked very inviting to him compared to him and Alfons' small apartment.

"This is where I live, silly." She giggled. Ed just let out a 'oh' sound. "I've never heard a man talk like you have before. You're so different from the others. Well, if it's not too much trouble would it be alright if I took a look around the factory tomorrow?" Julia asked.

"Of course, it's no trouble at all. I'll be here tomorrow at around ten in the morning to pick you up, alright? I'll see you tomorrow then." And with that, Ed left and walked towards the factory without letting Julia respond.

Julia's eyes remained on the spot where Ed was, and it took her a little while to pry her eyes off and take out her keys. As the key went into the keyhole, she stopped and took another quick look to where Ed was.

"Vielen dank, Edward Elric."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

'Vielen Dank' means 'Thank you very much' in German.

Well, hope you guys enjoyed this first chapter. I'll be posting my chapters for this story once a week I believe. I'll try to make all my updates either Friday afterschool or during Saturday sometime.

Other than that, please review! I really wanna see what you guys thought about this xD. I'm not sure if it's good or not, but I posted it anyways. I'd also like to have a decent amount of reviews before each of my updates. I really wanna see if people actually like it or not, and it only takes a minute!! Come on, please?


	2. The Other Her

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist in any way.

Please read and review!

**Chapter 2: The Other Her**

Someone knocked at the door as Natalie and James were busy talking for their plans for their wedding in June. Natalie heard her roommate rush around frantically upstairs, and she nearly laughed out loud. James had finally had a day off, even though he had a day off every week, it seemed like an eternity to Natalie. She decided to answer the door since _someone_ was a bit too busy trying to fix their hair.

"Yes? Can I help you?" Natalie asked. The stranger was a male who looked around 19 years of age, and had his long blonde hair tied into a ponytail in the back. He was wearing pretty heavy clothing, but she couldn't blame him since it was February.

"Hawkeye…?" Natalie heard the stranger ask himself quietly, but not quietly enough.

"Excuse me?" Natalie asked in return.

"Oh, sorry, I think I have the wrong house…" He said as he trailed off and looked behind her in shock again. "Mustang? No way…" He asked himself again.

"Who are you looking for?" James asked as he came up behind Natalie and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Ed I'm so sorry! I woke up late this morning, thanks to _somebody_." Julia said as she eyed Natalie who was still at door.

Julia had just rushed down the stairs and came around the hallway to the door where she knew Ed was, since it was already a little bit past 10 o'clock. She walked up to the door wearing a long maroon skirt and a matching shirt that had no sleeves. Her hair was up in a ponytail and she reached into the closet to get her coat.

"How was I supposed to know you had to get up early for a date?" Natalie responded to her roommate who had blushed intensely at the comment. "Oh I get it; this is why you walked in the door yesterday with a big smile on your face. And here I thought you were checking out that mechanics' store again."

"First of all it's not a date. Second of all I did go to the store again. And third of all Edward here is taking me to his factory where he designs rockets with my cousin that I went to meet yesterday." Julia answered in a huff. "Well James, I'm going to have to wish you luck being stuck in the house with Natalie all day planning for your wedding. Let's go Ed." And with that she took Ed's hand and dragged him in the direction of the factory as he just stared in bewilderment at their conversation.

"Who were those two? And a wedding?" Ed asked, still shocked from the two people he had just met.

"Oh I'm sorry, that was my roommate Natalie Hanson. She's engaged to that man back there. His name's James Lawe." Julia answered after she had realized she forgot to do the introductions earlier. She had totally left her manners. "They're getting married in June, and I'm their maid of honor since I've been friends with Natalie since before The Great War."

Ed had to mentally laugh at that. The Mustang and Hawkeye in this world were getting married, and he couldn't help but wonder what happened with the Mustang and Hawkeye he knew back home. Ed always thought there was something going on between the two, and this just totally proved it. But it had only been three years since he left Amestris and came to Earth, so they probably weren't engaged yet. But he could only wonder from where he was. It seemed this gave him even more motivation to build those rockets and try to find a way home.

* * *

Edward and Julia arrived at the factory at half past ten, and Ed started right away with explaining everything to Julia as they traveled to Ed's desk in an office he shared with Alfons. Once they arrived inside the office, they found Alfons already sitting there with a cup of coffee in his hand, and two more on Edward's desk. 

"Thanks for the coffee Alfons. Here." Ed thanked Alfons as he handed a cup to Julia as he sat down. He pulled out some blueprints in his desk drawer and began scribbling down notes and ideas he had come up with the previous night.

"Thank you."

"Now Julia, I want you to be careful here. There's no telling what might happen, and since you're a girl you could get hurt easier." Alfons warned.

"Oh, so you mean that there's more of a chance of this factory collapsing because Julia's a girl? Come on Alfons, you make it sound like women can't do anything." Ed said looking up from the blueprints of the rocket they were designing. "Julia knows what can happen around machinery. She _has_ studied some of it before am I right?"

"Of course she has, but nothing this complex." Alfons responded, glaring at Edward. Just then, Alfons started coughing violently and both Edward and Julia looked away. Once he stopped a minute later, Ed sighed heavily and looked back to his blueprints.

"Fine, Alfons is right. Julia, you need to be careful. But Alfons, you don't have to say it like the building has a higher chance of collapsing just because there's a girl here." Ed finished off without taking his eyes off the blueprints. Alfons gave a frustrated groan and walked out of the office to finish off the rocket's calibrations.

"Thank you Ed. I've never heard any man stick up for women's rights before." Julia said as Edward kept browsing through the blueprints.

"If you look here, you might be able to tell that there could be a few problems with the engine maintaining a stable entropy since the mass of the metal is so heavy." Ed said, ignoring Julia's earlier statement. Edward began explaining the knowledge he had acquired in rocketry in the past three years.

"Well, maybe the fuel you're using can't sustain enough energy when the rocket is launching. To get to outer space you'll need some type of fuel that can sustain the energy needed." Julia proposed, and Ed smirked when he realized she had just thought of something that neither Alfons nor he would have ever figured out in a million years. _The power of women…_

"You're right." He said.

The two of them almost forgot about lunch later on when Alfons came up with two trays of food for them. He noticed how Julia and Ed were working on a new blueprint for the engine of the rocket using another type of fuel.

"Wow Ed, I never thought of using this type of fuel before. Good idea." Alfons complimented with a smile.

"Thanks but it wasn't my idea. Julia came up with it." Ed responded and Julia started to blush a little bit but it went unnoticed because of the smile she also wore from the compliment. Alfons just looked at them like they were crazy and then burst out laughing.

"Good one Ed! Man you're hilarious!" Alfons said as he laughed and walked out the door. Julia looked like she could kill the closest thing near her, which happened to be Ed. She picked up a wrench near the table and gripped it tightly.

_Oh no, not the wrench. Please not the wrench! I thought I was safe from flying wrenches in this world!! _Ed pleaded in his mind as Julia got angrier and angrier, but all of a sudden she sighed and put down the wrench where she had gotten it from. Edward let out a sigh of relief and now he just wanted to clobber Alfons. One: because he had laughed at Julia for being able to come up with something he couldn't come up with, and two: because he had nearly caused a wrench to be thrown at Ed's head.

Julia ignored Alfons' comment and they started looking through their blueprints again. Julia turned out to be quite the artist as she drew the design she liked for the rocket, and it turned out to be pretty efficient in Ed's mind, but the one that Alfons suggested was more efficient than hers. Julia's was a bit…well…

_It's so frilly…_

It seemed like only an hour to the two of them before Ed glanced at the clock and realized it was already 6 o'clock. Since it was winter, it was already dark outside and he decided to call it quits for the day.

"I'll walk you home since it's already so late. Do you think Hawk…or uh…Natalie was it? Would…Natalie get worried?" Ed asked as he stumbled and tried not to call her Hawkeye.

"Oh I don't think so. She's probably lost track of the time since her and James were going to plan for the wedding all day long. Actually, I need to go pick up my dress for the wedding tomorrow come to think of it." Julia said that last part to herself. "Let's go."

They put on their coats and headed out into the factory. The ones who were working on the rocket itself were still busy, but most of the people who were working in their offices that day had already left an hour ago. Ed and Julia waved good-bye to Alfons and left the factory.

"Thank you for letting me come to the factory today. I really enjoyed it." Julia said.

"No problem." Ed said, but winced after he said it. He hated winter on Earth, it just got so cold. If he had his automail from before it would have been an even more painful thing for him, but at least he had the rubber to hide the machinery in his arm so it kind of acted like insulation. But it still hurt in his shoulder where the metal met flesh. He started rubbing his right shoulder but it didn't help much.

"Is something wrong with your shoulder?" Julia asked after she noticed Ed's behavior.

"It's just the automail again. It doesn't like the cold."

"Auto…mail? What's that?" Julia asked, completely confused at Ed's choice of words. Edward realized what he had just let slip out and tried to cover it quickly.

"It's nothing, don't worry." Ed said. "Man I'm hungry. I can't wait to get home and eat something." He said, trying to change the conversation before Julia asked any more questions.

The entire day, it actually felt like it was…_her_…standing beside him. Not Julia. And just now, he had gotten them mixed up again and thought maybe _she_ could help with his automail. But no, Julia wasn't an automail mechanic like _her_. She was different from _her_. And yet…they were also so similar.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

As promised, I have the second chapter up! I have now made up my mind and Fridays are going to be the update days for those of you who don't already know. If I don't post a chapter up on a Friday, then it's probably because I got little to no reviews. For a first chapter, 3 reviews is alright. But I've already had like...80 hits on this T.T Anyways, hope you guys liked this one. I know my chapters are a bit short but I'm kind of experimenting with chapter lengths for each of my fics. In the future I think I'm gonna post a poll to see what readers like the most lol.

Anyways, I try to keep as historically accurate as I can, but some things might be a bit jumbled up. I did a hell of a lot of research on both WWI and WWII and the period in between so I could write this. BE THANKFUL!! Lol. But uhh, Oberth had already come up with the idea of using liquid fuel by the time this story takes place, which is 1924, but something significant with the liquid fuel (forgot what actually happened lol) didn't happen until 1926, so I thought it would be kind of a cool idea to put it in there. Well, other than that I hope you guys all liked this!

Review please!


	3. Equivalent Exchange

Bwahah! I'm back, and on Friday as promised!! Anyways, did you guys not like the last chapter or something? I only got one review!!!! I don't care if you guys hate my chapters, say why you hate it please? Well, it doesn't really matter I guess, but please review!! And thank you so much to the person who DID review!! I love you!!

**Disclaimer: **If I really owned Fullmetal Alchemist then I'd be rich and I wouldn't be suffering through High School right now trying to get a job in the future, now would I?

Now without further ado, enjoy!!!

Read and review!

**Chapter 3: Equivalent Exchange**

"Well Julia, you're pretty late." James mocked as Julia walked in through the door. "It makes me wonder if you and that other fellow actually did go to that factory or not."

"Uhh, I'm standing right here you know." Edward replied as he stood outside the door.

"James, use your manners for once in your life would you?" Natalie scolded, exhausted from their day trying to plan for the wedding. Keyword being _trying_. "I'm sorry; I never introduced us properly this morning. My name is Natalie Hanson, and _that_ over there is my fiancé, James Lawe." Natalie said, emphasizing the word 'that' just to make fun of her future husband.

"Soon-to-be Natalie _Lawe_ in June though. Just four months left." James said, smiling at his fiancé who stood by the entrance into the kitchen.

"It's very nice to meet you. My name's Edward Elric. But please, call me Edward or just Ed is fine." He answered.

"Well then Edward, would you like to join us for supper tonight?" Natalie offered. She noticed Ed hesitating in his reply. "Don't worry; I accidentally made too much tonight for merely three people. Having you around would mean fewer leftovers for me to throw away later since James never eats the leftovers. We'd be happy to have some more company for tonight." She said.

Edward had to think it over, and it did sound very tempting. Besides, when Alfons worked on the rocket, he usually worked until around midnight, which left Ed to go out to eat since he never liked to cook for himself. From the sounds of it, it really did seem like they wouldn't mind.

"Sure, thank you." Ed said. Julia motioned for him to come in and he did. He took off his coat and hung it up in the closet before stepping inside the house. It was a really cozy home, and it was a bit bigger than his apartment he shared with Alfons. "You have a really nice home here."

"Thank you. But once James and I get married I'm going to move out into his house. Julia's probably going to have to switch to an apartment or something after that." Natalie replied. Ed understood where Natalie was coming from. This house was too big for only one person, especially a young woman like Julia. It was like Winry being stuck in that big automail shop without Pinako or Den, and that only made Ed wonder what had been happening on the other side.

He spotted something fairly big in the living room, but he had no idea what it was. It looked like a huge chunk of wood that was cut in weird angles to Ed.

"What's that?" Ed asked, pointing to the strange object.

"You're kidding me! You don't know what a piano is? Where have you been Edward?" James responded to his question. That remark just reminded Ed more and more of Mustang's pompous attitude. And yet for some strange reason, Ed kinda missed the guy. He figured that he just missed having a rival or someone to shout at. "Well if you must know, it's a musical instrument. Actually, Julia's the one who plays it in this house. I only know a little bit myself, but if you want to learn, ask her." James said before he walked off into the kitchen where Natalie and Julia were finishing off all the kitchen work.

Julia walked out as she wiped her hands on a piece of cloth. She smiled and tilted her head to the side as she headed towards the piano. She sat down on the wooden bench and pulled out a book of some sort. There were lines and circles and squiggles of all sorts and Ed thought it was some foreign language in this world. Julia lifted a lid on the so-called piano, and underneath it were black and white rectangle things that looked like they could be pressed down. It was the weirdest thing in the world to Ed. Julia pressed her fingers to the black and white keys and they began making soft noises. Ed marveled at the sound, and he had never heard anything so beautiful in his life.

Julia continued reading from the book, so it seemed to Ed, and she flipped a page and continued playing until the song was over. It was the nicest sound Ed had heard in his life, it was stunning. Ed couldn't even describe it in words.

"Wow, that was amazing." Ed marveled. He walked over to Julia who was still sitting down on the wooden bench. "How long did it take you to learn something like that?" He asked.

"It took me quite a long time. It takes a lot of effort to play the piano. I had to practice every single day. You also have to learn how to read music, and then you have to practice your fingers on the keys so they can move accordingly to your own will without being sloppy. It takes years to accomplish it. But if you want, I can teach you some of the basics." Julia said with a smile.

"You would?" Ed asked.

"Don't worry, it's the least I can do for you after you let me take a look at the factory today." Julia said. They both smiled at each other and Natalie walked out with dishes of food in her hands. She said it was time for supper and Julia stood up from the piano bench. Ed and Julia then walked over to the dining room table and sat down for supper.

Ed thought it was nice. It was kind of like home again. These people looked so much like the people back home, and yet they were also so different. That's what he hated. He hated having to face their alters time and time again, but they seemed to accept him and like him. James acted so much like Mustang, and Natalie so much like Hawkeye. The most heart-aching was Julia though. In time, he might end up…

That just gave him more reason to go home. All he needed to do was cross The Gate and he would be home. But it was so much easier said than done, and he knew that the chances of him being able to cross it through outer space were slim, but he still had to try.

Edward's arm started hurting again, and this time his leg was starting up too. He definitely hated winter in Germany, and the pain was always acting on and off. It was so irritating. He looked around the room and saw there was a fireplace and there was indeed a fire going. He wanted so badly to go over there and stick his arm and leg in the fire, as weird as that sounded; it would warm up his fake limbs. Or at least just put his shoulder near the fire so that it could warm up. But he couldn't just get up and walk over to the fire to do that, it would look so strange to the other three.

He continued eating the extremely delicious meal, one that he hadn't had the privilege of eating since the last time he was at Gracia's house with Elisia and of course…Hughes. Ed still mourned for the man who loved his little daughter so much. He wished he could have been there, at least to the funeral. He'd never even gotten a chance to visit his grave. Ed promised himself that one of the first things he would do if…_when_ he got back was to visit that man's grave.

"So Edward, I hear you design rocketry with Alfons. How is that turning out?" James asked, trying to start a friendly conversation. Ed was having a hard time believing this man wasn't either making fun of him, making him scream, yell, shout, or just plain pissed off. But then, this wasn't really Mustang he was sitting with.

"It hasn't been terrible so far at least. Although we had a lot of troubles in the beginning trying to find sponsors, we still managed. Right now we're progressing quickly, but I'm not really sure if it'll work or not. We're all just hoping for the best since there's a lot at stake here." Edward replied, answering Mustang's question decently enough. If they failed, then it would mean an endless amount of money down the drain. The thought of it made Edward feel so pressured.

Ed's automail arm and leg were both really starting to get on his nerves though. He even figured it wouldn't hurt telling them about his arm and leg since it was in so much pain after all. Ed did avoid people knowing about it, since it wasn't very common technology in this world. But if he found any sort of need to telling them they would end up knowing anyways.

"Do you mind if I go sit by the fire? My arm and leg are killing me right now." Ed said, deciding that telling these people wouldn't hurt him at all.

"Why is that?" Natalie asked, and all eyes were on Edward now.

"Well you see, they just start acting up in the cold. So I need to get them heated before the freezing metal starts giving me frostbite." Ed explained.

"Metal?" The three of them all asked in unison.

"Yeah." Ed replied. He took off his white gloves and rolled up his sleeves to show an arm that was a very pale color, and it didn't look like his skin tone at all. He took off what appeared to be rubber to show a mechanical arm. The three of them really didn't know how to respond now. "This is called automail, they're artificial limbs. I lost my real right arm and left leg as a child, and now I use these prosthetics in place." Edward explained as he walked over to the fire and sat down. He then made sure that the fire didn't burn his clothes and slowly, his shoulder and leg started to warm up.

"You're leg is fake too? But you've been able to walk without limping at all, and your arm's been able to function perfectly as well." Julia said, trying to make sense of it all.

"My brain's still sending out signals to my arm and leg even though they're not there anymore. So these machines take those signals and amplify them so I'm able to move them according to my own will." He explained for what seemed like the umpteenth time to him.

"That's amazing! Can I have a look at it?" Julia asked as she jumped out of her chair and ran to where Ed was sitting near the fire. "Please? I've never seen anything like it! Whoever designed these are geniuses!" She exclaimed.

"Well my dad made this set. But the real credit should be going to someone else…" He said as he trailed off, thinking back to Winry and Pinako. "This set isn't as good as some other ones I've had before. My dad only knew the basic idea of it, so they're not really the best."

"But, can I please take a look at them? Please? I really wanna study these, they look so amazing!" Julia pleaded. She folded her hands together and placed them under her chin. "And in return, I'll teach you piano, so pretty please! I'm begging you!" She pleaded even more.

Jesus Christ, she was so much like Winry when she did that…

"Fine, sounds fair enough to me. Equivalent exchange, right?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well now, tell me what you thought about this one. It's kind of dull and boring right now, I know, but I really need to build up Ed and Julia's relationship before I get into the bigger plot of this. Right now I've written pretty far and I could tell you which chapter the plot really starts, but I won't just in case some of you decide to skip all those earlier chapters. Well I can tell you this, you'll regret doing that. The earlier chapters before my plot really thickens is very important to the plot lol. Anyways, I hope you guys liked this even though it's short. Like I said, I'm experimenting with chapter lengths in each of my fics to see what readers like the most. So my next update will again be next Friday!!

Review please!!!


	4. If Only

-Sigh- 2 reviews last time.

**Disclaimer: **I can't think of any sarcastic jokes for this today (I'm a bit tired), so I'm just gonna be blunt this time and say I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Read and Review.

**Chapter 4: If Only**

"Julia? What are you doing here?" Alfons asked as Julia appeared at their front door in the apartment building.

"It's nice to see you too Alfons." Julia joked as Alfons let her through the door.

"Sorry, I guess I was just a bit surprised." Alfons replied as he reached his left hand to the back of his head to rub it sheepishly.

"I'm here to see Edward if you must know. He promised me I could take a look at his metal arm and leg last night." Julia explained herself after Alfons eyed her weirdly after her first statement. "Where is he anyways?"

"Probably in his room. Just go up those stairs and it's the last door down the hall." Alfons said. He coughed a few times but stopped immediately after the fourth cough.

Julia headed up the stairs after making sure Alfons was alright, and sure enough, there was a room at the end of the hall and it was also the only room that had a closed door. She knocked on the door and heard a groaning noise but that was it. She knocked again and a louder groan came.

"Edward, I'm coming in." She called out and she opened the door. Edward was lying down on his bed and he appeared to be half asleep. There was a bottle of scotch on his desk and a glass of scotch on the rocks. He had already drank half of the glass, and the other half was for later apparently.

"Alfons, I'm tired leave me alone." Julia heard him mumble under the covers.

"Excuse me but I am no Alfons. Wake up sleepy-head." She said and pulled the covers off of the sleeping body. Julia immediately regretted doing that because Ed was in nothing but a pair of light blue boxers and her face was now completely red. "Sorry, I didn't mean to-!"

"It's fine." Ed mumbled as he rubbed his eyes lazily. He already sat up and he looked completely exhausted. "I just had a long day at work." He said.

"Well then, you'll be glad to hear that while you were working tiring yourself to death, I was out picking out my dress for the wedding and shopping for shoes and accessories!" Julia exclaimed with a smile on her face. It was fun to tease him when he was so tired.

"Jee, sounds fun-filled beyond belief. I'm going back to bed now." He groaned as he began to lie back down on his comfy bed.

"Oh no you don't! You promised me that you would let me take a look at your metal arm and leg." Julia yelled.

"Fine, fine. But if you knew you were coming here for that then why did you wear a dress?" Ed asked as he noticed the clothes she was wearing. Anyone else would have worn something more comfortable when they were working with mechanics.

"Because I don't own any pants or comfortable shirts. I am a woman after-all. If I did own anything like it I wouldn't be able to wear it because all you men would stare at me strangely." Julia said defending herself.

Edward stared at her in disbelief. She didn't own _any_ work clothing at all? The Winry he knew back home had nothing _but_ work clothes. But this wasn't Winry, now was it? Again his face went solemn after thinking about home again for what seemed like a hundred times to him.

"Oh, I know! I'll just borrow some of your clothes!" She exclaimed. She ran to his dresser and started digging through the drawers. Ed wasn't sure what to say as he stared incredulously at her. "Get out you little idiot! I'm going to change!" She shouted and pushed Ed out of the door.

"B-but that's my room! AND WHO ARE YOU CALLIN A MIDGET WHO COULD FIT INTO THE GROOVES OF YOUR SHOE?! I'M TALLER THAN YOU!!!" Finally, Ed could actually use the line 'I'm taller than you' when he was shouting back at someone who called him short.

"I didn't say anything like that!" He heard Julia scream from inside _his_ room, changing into _his_ precious clothes. Just as Ed figured, it took Julia a ridiculously long time to change into a new set of clothes. Ed leaned against the door now grumbling furiously. As Julia opened the door that Ed was leaning against, he fell back into his room and looked up to see Julia wearing one of his shirts and his pants. Her hair was put up into a bun and she had taken her make-up and jewelry off.

"Took you long enough. What is it that makes women so slow?"

"Well I never knew you were so sensitive about your height, _shorty_." Julia said, now mocking Ed from her new found discovery.

"Don't call me that! And I'm taller than you, which makes you even shorter than I am!" He retorted. Julia didn't say anything after that which caused Ed to hold a triumphant grin plastered all over his face.

Ed followed Julia back into his room and he sat down on his bed, trying to sneak in a little nap while she worked on his arm. Julia pulled up a chair beside him and began poking her way through his arm. The rubber was removed, and she had lifted the plating off the arm. Ed had given her a set of tools she could use to work with, and she began tinkering around in his automail.

"OUCH!" Ed screamed all of a sudden.

"You can feel that?" Julia asked, now very amazed at this technology.

"Of course I can! They're connected to my nerves after all!" Ed shouted back. Julia marveled at this technology, and again she commented that whoever came up with it was a genius!

Julia continued it most of the night, poking around here and there, and then Ed would yelp when she accidentally hit a nerve. Of course sometimes she would do it on purpose just to annoy Ed since he was annoying her in the first place. Julia found it weird that whenever she picked up the wrench Ed would start looking really nervous. She would ask what was wrong with him but he would just nervously laugh it off and say it was nothing.

She tried not to blush the entire time since Ed was, after all, in nothing but boxers. It was hard for her since she had never been so close to a man like this in her life. Whereas Edward appeared to be completely fine with it like he did this all the time. There were a few times where her eyes lingered to all the scars he had on his body, and she couldn't help but wonder where he had gotten all of those scars from. She was thinking that maybe he was held prisoner during The Great War, but it didn't seem like that to her. Everyone she saw that had suffered through that war as a prisoner were all traumatized and they kind of kept away from society these days. The only people they were ever friendly to from then on would be their family because they were so grateful to be alive. After she realized that she had been staring at his chest again, she went back to the automail.

"Uhh, Julia?"

"Yes?"

"You realize the time, right? It's already 10 o'clock. Shouldn't you be getting home? I'm sure Natalie must be worried about you." Edward finished off.

"You're kidding me! It's so late already!" Julia exclaimed. "I really should get going." She said as she sat up from her chair and screwed up the plates on his arm again.

Edward watched with amusement as she rushed around frantically in his room folding up her dress and getting her jewelry from off his desk. He looked out the window and it was pitch black outside, save for the few streetlamps that were lit on the sides of the roads.

"I'll walk you home tonight. It's too late for you to be walking home alone at this hour." Ed said. Julia nodded and smiled back at him as Ed reached into his drawer and pulled out some clothes for him to wear. He pulled on some pants and a shirt and buttoned it up. Julia stared at him while he was dressing and another blush appeared on her face. Edward walked over to his desk and pulled out a bag then handed it to Julia as he finished drinking his scotch from earlier.

"What's this for?" She asked, now entirely confused.

"It's for your clothes, silly." Ed said pointing over to her dress and the jewelry she had worn that day. "I want my clothes back tomorrow when I drop by for my piano lessons, alright? I got a day off tomorrow so I'll be by your place sometime in the afternoon."

"Alright then. I think James will be over again tomorrow after he has work though. You can stay for supper again tomorrow if you'd like." Julia said.

"You sure? I think one time's already enough, don't you think?"

"Of course not! You're more than welcome to have supper with us anytime. And besides, it's no fun eating with a pair of lovebirds, I always feel like a third wheel whenever James is over for supper." Julia said.

They walked downstairs and Ed told Alfons that he was walking Julia back home. Alfons was already getting ready for bed and looked like he was completely exhausted from work that day. He also looked like he had just suffered from another one of his coughing fits earlier since he was sweating pretty badly. Julia and Alfons both said their 'good-nights' and the two walked out the door. Alfons stared at their apartment door and wondered if it would actually work out between those two.

* * *

Edward and Julia had made it back to Julia's house in about half an hour's time. Julia had forgotten her key and Natalie was apparently gone when they knocked on the door.

"Well, what are you gonna do?" Ed asked with enjoyment as Julia pounded on the door.

"Do you really think this is the first time this has happened, Edward?" Julia asked smiling. She bent down over the railing and pulled out a spare key to get herself in. "Natalie's probably at James' house tonight again. I hate it when I'm home alone at night; this house gets way too scary." Julia complained as she opened the door and walked in.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow th-" Ed said but was cut off when Julia made a loud 'OH RIGHT' noise. She reached into the bag where her dress was in and pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to Ed. "What's this?" He asked.

"It's an invitation to James and Natalie's wedding. I'm their maid of honor you see, and umm, I was wondering if you would like to be my escort that day." Julia said, all the while smiling sheepishly and looking down trying to hide her blush. Edward read through the contents on the piece of paper and gave a, for some reason, depressing smile.

"Of course, it'll probably be fun. I'll see you tomorrow then Julia. Good night." He said and walked off back home. Julia was left standing at the front door again as she stared at Edward as he walked off.

_If only I had the chance to tell Winry…_

* * *

**Author's Note:**

And, chapter 4 as promised on Friday. Anyways, I would like to say: IF I DON'T GET SOME MORE REVIEWS THIS TIME THEN I WON'T UPDATE NEXT WEEK!!! This is my hint saying that you guys don't like my fic by not reviewing, therefore I shouldn't have to bother to update. That is all.

Sorry if I seem a bit...well...not hyper this week...but I'm not hyper. I need some inspiration to keep me writing fanfics!!! Gahhh! I've been involving myself in homework, studying, and my awesomely great boyfriend who is sick like a dog right now (I wonder why people say "sick like a dog". I mean, dogs aren't always sick even though they have wet noses. Someone wanna explain it to me? I suck with english sayings).

Review? Please?


	5. Partially Content

You should all really thank my last reviewer (whom I can not name if I want to abide by the rules of this website). Because of that reviewer, I am FINALLY updating this! And you know, if I don't get reviews again it'll happen again. But anyways, thank you to those who actually do review my work! I appreciate it greatly, and I love you guys to death!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist in any way. The only thing I do own is the bottle of water beside me.

**R&R Please!**

**Chapter 5: Partially Content**

Ed never knew there was so much into learning this instrument called a piano. Nothing like this had ever been invented in Amestris, and now that he really thought about it, he enjoyed the music on Earth way more than the music in Amestris.

Learning how to read the music was like learning an entire new language entirely, but being such a prodigy, he was able to grasp the concept. Julia tried to teach him how to actually play the piano before anything else first, and then slowly teach him the notes on the staff as they went along. But knowing Ed, he needed to know the reason behind it all. He insisted that he was taught everything behind the theory of piano before he actually started. Julia said it would take him months to learn it all, but Ed still insisted. Julia was very impressed by Ed's ability to grasp the knowledge so quickly, and he had memorized most of it all just by reading it the first time.

Now it was time to actually start playing.

"STUPID LEFT HAND!! I HATE THIS!" Ed shouted as he _tried_ to move his fingers on the keys. "If only this stupid left hand was as good as my right one." He grumbled.

"Don't worry; it took me forever to do anything when I first tried too. It's hard to get your ring finger moving without moving your pinky or middle finger too."

"Then why the hell is my right hand so good at this?! Oh yeah…" Ed realized he had an automail right hand, so it was actually easier to move the joints since they weren't fixed together like his flesh hand.

Julia was sitting in a chair beside the piano bench where Ed sat in. But she had abandoned that chair after teaching him the theory he wanted to know, and now she stood behind him and would bend over to see how he was doing. Ed felt a bit self conscious at that moment since she was right behind him watching every move he did. He placed his hands back onto the keys and continued playing.

"Why don't you try only playing with your left hand for a little bit? This is a pretty hard song anyways." Julia said, trying to come up with something so that it would be easier for Ed. He did as he was told and went over the parts with his left hand only. It worked a little bit better for him and he was able to play it fairly good after a few times practicing it.

Now Ed put both of his hands on the keyboard of the piano and played with both hands this time. The sound that came out wasn't as bad as Ed expected it to be like earlier and now it sounded truly like a song.

"Not bad. You've got a really good sense of rhythm, but since this is a waltz you need to get the strong, weak, weak, pattern of the time signature. You should also watch your key signature because that 'B' you played right here was supposed to be a flat, not a natural. After you've got the notes and the rhythm correct, we should work on the rubato technique since this is a romantic waltz, but you'll need to work on the dynamics of this piece before trying rubato." Julia said as she tried to remember everything she had wanted to comment on while Ed was playing the song. "But for a beginner in piano, that was really amazing! I've never seen anyone been able to play this piece on their first day of learning!"

"Well, I am kind of a prodigy according to my friends back home."

"Back home? Are you from another country then? Actually, you have kind of an American accent now that I think about it."

"Julia, could you help me with supper now please? I think Edward's been spending enough time on the piano now anyways." Natalie called from the kitchen. James had just walked in through the door from work and he gave Natalie a kiss before entering the living room where Ed and Julia were.

"Alright!" Julia shouted back. "You've spent hours on theory and piano now; I think that's definitely enough for today." Julia said before heading into the kitchen where Natalie was.

"Want some help in there ladies?" James asked as they began the cooking.

"No thanks. I know better than to trust you and cooking after the last time you tried helping." Natalie said as James shrugged.

"Hey, it's not my fault I nearly burnt down the entire kitchen. I've always been a bit of a pyromaniac I guess."

Edward couldn't help but think how ironic that was. If James could've used alchemy in this world, then he would have probably ended up to be more like Mustang than he already was if that was actually possible. He shuddered at the thought of having two arrogant bastards to deal with and his thoughts went on to linger elsewhere.

He still hadn't gotten up from the piano bench and he looked through more of Julia's piano and theory books she had on the shelves. He could tell which of the pieces were more complicated and which ones were simpler. But before he looked at any other pieces he wanted to get this waltz down first. He flipped through Julia's theory book and looked up the technique rubato that she had mentioned earlier.

_A freedom of tempo with the intent of making the music more expressive._

From what Julia had said earlier, this was a romantic piece, meaning it wasn't from the classical era. She had said that classical music was very strict and she didn't enjoy it as much because everything had to be played exactly what it said on the sheet music. She also said that she liked baroque and romantic music more because they had a more appealing melody and gave a bit more freedom in the music. Ed understood where she was coming from when she said she didn't like how strict classical music was. He could sort of relate it to being a State Alchemist.

Supper started and Edward and James helped set up the table while Julia and Natalie put the dishes on the table. They started eating in silence and not much was said. Ed kind of enjoyed spending time with these people. Even if James ended up like a Mustang, Ed wouldn't really get to see it since Natalie was always around him whenever Ed saw James, which meant she would always keep him in check just like Hawkeye always did for Mustang. And Julia was so nice to him, and she was even willing to teach him piano without charging anything. It may have sounded like equivalent exchange when she said she would teach him piano if he let her look at his arm. But piano took forever to learn, and even then it wasn't perfect. Whereas Julia only poked through his arm for a few hours and hung around the factory for a day. It didn't really sound like equivalency to Ed, and he would have to make it up to her someday, somehow.

Of course, according to Dante and his father equivalent exchange didn't exist and it was just a story. But Ed didn't want to follow a doctrine of cynicism and apathy like those two did. Ed was glad Hoenheim of Light had disappeared again just last November after the so called 'March to Berlin' by Hitler and his men. He didn't need someone who was constantly running away calling himself Ed's father. No, he wanted nothing to do with that man.

Ed didn't want to look back to the past. Everything that had happened already happened, and he couldn't do anything to change that. The only thing he could do now was look towards the future and continue living and to find a way home. He knew that no matter how hard it turned out to be, it would somehow work out and he would be able to see Alphonse again. Not the Alfons Heiderich that Ed was constantly mixing up, but his Al.

And so it continued. Every night Ed would stop by Julia's house after work and they would commence Ed's piano lessons. He didn't stay for supper every night since that would be rude and would also be taking advantage of them, but he stayed once every so often. Besides, Alfons got lonely too without Ed around sometimes.

The day of the wedding was fast approaching, and Ed had already gotten his suit so he could be Julia's escort. Alfons was invited as well since he had known Natalie ever since she became best friends with his cousin. Edward didn't really show as much enthusiasm about the wedding as Julia did, but he couldn't help but kind of look forward to the day of the wedding.

He was only partially content with this life, and there was still two people missing from it.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Yes, I know, this chapter was dull and boring. Actually, when I had first written this part of my work, I was planning to update this with chapter 6 as well as a little 'sorry' for having this so dull and boring, but since I haven't gotten any reviews in the past, oh I don't know, MONTH, I won't be updating chapter 6 until next Friday. I know today's Thursday, but thanks to that wonderful reviewer I'm updating today.

As you can tell, I know my piano. I didn't make any of that stuff up, because I play piano myself. Piano is one of my main obsessions (besides writing fanfictions of course -winks-). And I had to brush up a lot on my history to make this accurate, and Hitler and the Concentration Camps will be playing a HUGE part in the future as well. The only reason it's so boring right now is because I'm trying to give all my readers a feel to Edward's new life beyond The Gate. So anyways, have a good week! I'll be updating chapter 6 next Friday, but I expect some reviews for me to do that!


	6. The Big Day

And here's my update for Friday, as promised! Thank you to my reviewers for this past week, I love you guys!!! This chapter is much longer than my other ones because this is the actual wedding day, and so I decided to put it all into one, big, CHAPTER! Ahahaha! Anyways...xD

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist in any way. I'm just a fan who loves it so much I fantasize about the anime, and so popped up this fanfiction!

**Chapter 6: The Big Day**

"I look like a freaking penguin!" Edward complained as he fixed his tie in front of a body-length mirror.

"No, you look like a guy in a tuxedo to me." Alfons replied. They were both already inside the church, doing some last minute adjustments before the big moment. "Who would have thought? Natalie getting married! And to James Lawe! Man oh man, how things can change over the years. Don't you think Ed?" Alfons asked as he reminisced back to when he had first met his cousin's best friend.

"I know what you mean." Ed's whiny tone from before had vanished, and now it was more somber than before. _Just a few years ago, Al and I were both still searching for the Philosopher's Stone._

Again, Ed had thought about home again. There was never a second when he wouldn't think back to his friends and family back home. But he wasn't sure he still had family on the other side of The Gate. _No. Al is alive, he has to be._ At least he hoped that was true anyways.

Ed and Alfons were interrupted when Julia walked in on their private room. They had taken up a room in the church so they could get ready. The groom was already inside the chapel that was built inside the church just for these special occasions, and the bride was just outside the chapel waiting nervously for the music to start.

Ed and Alfons both smiled when Julia entered. She was beautiful. She wore a strapless deep blue dress. Her hair was up elegantly and Ed had to wonder how women managed to do that with only bobby pins and hairspray. The dress was of course, floor length, and on the back was a bow that hung loosely under her hip.

"Alfons! You should be inside the chapel already seated! Come on Edward, you're with me, remember?" Julia said as she took Ed's hand and led him to the main entrance of the chapel. Alfons slid in through the entrance as the ushers opened the door for him, and the entire wedding party was outside. The groom, best man, and the groom's men were already inside at the alter waiting for the bride and her party. The women each had escorts, except for Natalie who would be walking down the aisle alone.

The music started and the three bride's maids went first. Ed and Julia waited for their turn right before the bride herself would make her grand entrance down the red carpet. Edward was nervous to say the least. The wedding rehearsal the night before was way easier than this. This time people would be staring at him.

He took a deep breath and counted to ten. At least he actually had practice before this so he knew what to do. The last of the bride's maids had made it to the alter, and her escort went to sit down in the front with the rest of the audience.

Now it was time for the maid of honor and her escort. Ed remembered what he had practiced just the night before, and he guided Julia down the red carpet. It wasn't that bad. People were only staring at the two as they walked down an aisle towards a pastor who had authority to marry two people. This just played weirdly in Ed's little world as he thought of how he ended up in this situation. Half way down the aisle, he noticed flashing lights and a camera near the front that took motion pictures.

_Oh my God! People are taking pictures! Why do they want pictures of ME?! Wait…I'm in a church! And I just said 'Oh my God'! Wait! I don't believe in God, what the hell am I saying?! Err…thinking?!_

Edward was blushing like a red tomato by now. Julia was smiling right beside him though, and he looked ahead to see Musta…James smiling at the two as well. He had never seen a smile like that plastered across this man's face before in his life. Never. He wondered if Mustang would be this happy if he ever married Hawkeye. Or maybe they already were married, but he highly doubted that thought. It had only been about three years since then, so he doubted they were already married. They might have gotten engaged, but he had no way of telling.

It was about time they reached the altar! Julia unhooked her arms with Edward's, and she smiled warmly before standing near the rest of the bride's maids. Edward smiled back and he sat down with the other escorts as he heard the music change. The music was much more traditional for a wedding than the previous song for the bride's maids and maid of honor. He saw Natalie walk in near the entrance, and everyone in the audience stood, so Ed followed the crowd and stood up as well.

He mentally grinned to himself. He was taller than the other escorts! TAKE THAT! In fact, he could see above the heads of a lot of people now, but there were still a few that were taller than him. Ed spotted Alfons somewhere in the middle of the audience and they had made eye contact with each other. They both grinned and their eyes both went back to Natalie at the same time. She was almost at the alter, and James never wore a bigger smile in his life. He was getting married to the woman he loved, after all.

_I wonder if I'll ever be able to do that…_

Wedding Ceremonies: As fun as watching paint dry.

That's what Ed thought as he thought back to the ceremony. He was forced to sit through the pastor rambling on and on and on and on and on and on about love, marriage, love, marriage, unions, marriage, and love. At one point he nearly fell off his seat as he drifted off to some much needed sleep, but then someone beside him quickly pulled him back up which woke him up immediately. He had heaved a sigh of relief since no one had noticed, and he wondered how the hell Julia managed to stand up there for an hour and a half.

And now, he was escorting Julia _again_ into the restaurant where the reception took place. Everyone was already seated, and again, all eyes were glued on the two. This time there weren't that many pictures taken, but their names were announced by the MC before they had entered. Everyone clapped their hands as they entered and Julia sat at the head table with the rest of the wedding party. After that, Natalie and James' parents were introduced, and then the newlywed couple themselves. Edward had sat down with Alfons, but he was also surrounded by a bunch of other people that Ed didn't know.

"Hey there Ed. Let me guess, you're starving, right?" Alfons mocked as he heard Edward's stomach grumble.

"No, I'm not _starving_, I'm _famished_!" Ed complained. Alfons only laughed at him as the food was brought out to them.

"Well at least you didn't have to be in the pictures with the rest of the wedding party after the ceremony." Alfons said. Ed had instead taken a nap after the ceremony mumbling something about 'monotonous' and 'pastors'.

"Man I feel sorry for Julia. Before we came in here she was saying how her heels were killing her." Ed said as he grabbed a fork that was placed beside his plate, making sure it was the right one since he had discovered that there were different forks for _everything_ in this crazy world, and took a bite out of his extremely delicious meal.

"Yeah, women always complain about wearing heels, but, how bad could they be? But yet you still managed to be taller than her, huh? Looks like the little Edward I met a few years ago has finally grown!" Alfons joked and earned a frightening death glare from the blonde.

"Who are you calling so small that even an amoeba would have to use a magnifying glass to see?! HUH?!" Ed hadn't _completely_ flipped out like he would have back in Amestris, but he still hated being called short, and he still hated milk.

"Easy! I didn't say anything like that!" And before anything else was said, Alfons started coughing wildly. Edward now forgot the whole 'short' comment from before and he was now worried about his friend.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Everyone else at the table was also staring at the two of them with worried expressions.

Alfons couldn't even respond, he was coughing way too harshly. After what seemed like an eternity to the two young men, Alfons gave out one loud cough that came from deeper in his lungs than before, and blood had spewed out. Edward looked on in horror as his mind went back to his Teacher.

"Alfons…"

"Edward…you know what this means, don't you?" Alfons asked weakly as he stared at his palm that was covered in blood. Luckily, there wasn't too much and none of it seeped onto his clothes. "I'm…I'm running out of time now…" Alfons whispered so only the two of them could hear.

"Alfons, don't worry. The doctor said he wasn't sure-"

"But there's good chances that after I start coughing blood I'll…"

"Alfons. Listen to me. You don't have to worry about it, alright? We'll deal with it _if_ the time ever has to come." Edward said. His tone was soft but solid, and Alfons completely trusted Edward for some strange reason.

The truth was, Alfons' time was coming to an end. If that was true, then Ed didn't want Alfons spending his last days worrying about his upcoming death, instead he wanted him to enjoy his shortened life and relax. Well, as relaxing as Alfons Heiderich would allow anyways.

Edward had taken the role of Alfons' role model in the past three years. He felt a need to look after someone since he had done it all his life. After all, there was a reason why big brothers were born first. So they could take care of the ones that came after him. With Alfons this may not have been the case, but he was so similar to Alphonse, his Al, that Ed just couldn't help it.

After they had finished their meals, Ed having eaten five courses, the speeches came. During the meals there were speeches too, but now they were really packing it. Ed was uninterested as all of the groom's men and bride's maids did their speeches, and he didn't even pay attention to the one that Natalie and James Lawe did, until Julia and the best man stepped up. Whoever the best man was, Ed didn't recognize him, but he was gentlemen enough to let Julia declare her speech first.

"Good evening to you all. As you all know, I am Julia Heiderich, Natalie's maid of honor. I can honestly say that I have never been this happy in my life. It is a blessing that such delight and joyfulness can come after the horrific events that had taken place only a few years back. I had actually met Natalie before the Great War even, and had immediately become close friends with her. Of course, she was already older than me, but neither of us cared too much about age differences. I think our opposite personalities attracted each other like a magnet.

"And then the day came when I had first met James Lawe. Oddly enough, it wasn't through Natalie. James was apparently buying flowers for Natalie at the time to go see her, and I was also on my way to Julia's house because she had invited me to her house to meet her new boyfriend. I was just outside the flower shop when James came running out in a panic because he thought he was late. In all actuality, his watch was just an hour ahead. He tripped over my shoelace and yelled 'HEY YOU! I'M IN A HURRY TO MEET MY GIRLFRIEND AND YOU THINK IT'S FUNNY TO JUST TRIP ME?! WELL THINK AGAIN!'.

"I for one was astonished to hear that and I yelled back at him. We got into a pretty heated argument as we both decided to leave to wherever we were supposed to be. It was the most surprising thing in the world when we ended up at the same house." Everyone in the restaurant laughed after hearing the story, and even Edward had to chuckle lightly from the story. Talk about a small world.

She ended her speech a few minutes later with a toast to the new husband and wife, and they all clapped their hands.

Edward was never to believe in God, but he thanked Him for putting _some_ humor in those dull, boring, and sappy speeches. It was God's lucky day for finally being thanked by Edward Elric, the largest nonbeliever in the whole world, until Ed cursed back at Him after the dance was announced. He cursed Him again after he heard that the escorts had no choice but to dance to the second song. Apparently it was a must.

Natalie and James stepped onto the dance floor first, and they danced together to 'their song'. Ed didn't get what having 'a song' meant but he figured it was something that this world was accustomed to and he didn't ask any questions about it to make him look like an idiot. It went by pretty slowly, and everyone was watching with smiles on their faces. Edward couldn't smile at this until he imagined that was Mustang and Hawkeye out there, which was pretty easy, and he let out a soft chuckle.

Oh great, the second song. Also known as: 'The most embarrassing moment for Edward Elric as he crashes into everything in sight'.

"Edward, come on, we have to dance." Julia said as she got up.

"Don't remind me." Ed responded grumpily as he too got up. He led Julia to the dance floor after linking their arms together like how the other men were doing as well, and the song started. Natalie and James were still dancing together to this song as well, and now they had joined them. Edward clasped his left hand with her right hand and placed his right hand around her waist.

He tried his best to remember everything his mother had taught him and Al about dancing. This was just a slow dance, so it was easier than a waltz or a tango. He tried to keep the beat in his head, moving his feet according to the tempo. As Julia mentioned in their piano lessons, he was quite good at keeping a beat, and now that he was more accustomed to music, it was like second-nature to ago along with it. The hardest part now was to not trip and to not look down.

"You look like you're cramming for some big exam right now." Julia laughed at him as she danced to the music with him. "Just relax and enjoy yourself. Don't worry, if you trip then I'll fall down with you, but if I trip you have to do the same too, alright?" She proposed.

"Good plan. Equivalent exchange, right?"

"You keep saying 'equivalent exchange' about everything. I think I get the basic idea about it, since the name is pretty obvious, but where in the world have you heard it from?"

"Umm…uhh…I learned it from…my mom when I was litt-I mean, younger." Ed mentally kicked himself in the head for even thinking about using the 'L' word.

"Oh I see. You know I can tell from your voice that you think very fondly of your mother, but you don't say much. Where is she now?"

Edward hesitated to respond, and Julia saw the look in his face. His eyes lingered elsewhere as he remembered back to that day. Looking at the bigger picture, it was that day that had caused him to be where he was now. If not for losing Al's body, they wouldn't have tried to search for a Philosopher's Stone, and that would mean he would probably still be back in Resembool with Al and…Winry.

"Let's just say…she's the reason I'm here dancing with you right now."

Edward decided a few more dances wouldn't hurt, and the ones that came after that slow song were at a faster beat. He was…enjoying himself. It was a miracle.

The song ended and the two left the dance floor. He sat back down at the table with Alfons as Julia mingled with the guests as she sipped her drink. Alfons had looked a bit better than before at dinner, and he was starting to act normal again…sort of.

"What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be having some fun instead of sitting here all by yourself at this table?" Ed asked as he took a sip of what was left of his scotch.

Alfons needed to have some fun with a girl right now. He definitely didn't need a long-lasting relationship, hell no, but he still needed someone to dance with, talk with, and to have fun with that night.

Ed spotted a girl off to the side of the room. She was also sitting at a table by herself and she was looking pretty nervous. Her brunette hair and peculiar green eyes reminded him of a certain mousy girl he had met once before. Although she didn't look much the bookworm he knew all too well, just the hair color and eyes. Her hair was longer and wavy, and she wore a deep green dress that reached the floor, and the color reminded him of Lust's dress. Her dress had straps, unlike Julia, and looked a lot like the one Sloth used to wear, but a difference color.

_Why can't I ever look at someone and just _not_ think about someone from Amestris for once in my life in this stupid, stupid world?!?!?!_ Edward was getting very irritated at the fact that he was so home sick, and there was nothing he could do about it. Tomorrow, he was definitely going to the factory to get some serious work done even though he had taken the day off.

"Alfons, go talk to her, right now!" Ed ordered.

"Wh-what?!'

"NOW!"

"Fine…rude little." Alfons grumbled as he stalked off to the girl.

"I'M NOT LITTLE!"

Edward took a deep breath and realized that _he_ was the one that looked like a loner now. He ordered another drink, this time he decided to go with a vodka martini instead of his usual scotch whiskey. He drank enough of that at home so it wouldn't hurt to have something new. Well, considering what he was trying maybe it would hurt him a little.

It was weird since Edward never ever would have imagined he would drink this much alcohol in his entire life. Even when he was 16, he knew that he wasn't the type to drink much. And yet here he was now, drinking away his brain cells.

"I see you're enjoying the martini as well." He heard a voice coming from his left. In his half-drunken state, it was hard to place a name and face to that voice.

"Oh, hey Julia." He said as he tried his best not to slur his words. He only had a drop left of his martini and he finished it. He decided that was his last drink while he was still able to think and act clearly to his own accord. "Having fun?"

"Oh yeah, tons! But you know it's getting kind of late." Julia said.

"What time is it?" Edward asked. He had a slight clue of the time since he hadn't been sitting there for long.

"It's only a bit past ten." She replied.

Edward sighed to himself. He was sitting there for a bit over an hour drinking, and it was already past 10 o'clock. He knew they both wanted to get up early the next morning. Ed so he could go to the factory; and Julia because she wanted to prepare the house before Natalie got back from her honeymoon suit in the afternoon and moved out the day after that.

"Julia…are you drunk?" Edward asked, finally realizing the state she was in. She was pretty tipsy-turvy and she couldn't stand straight. And now that he thought about it, she was slurring her words a lot more than he was.

"Mmmm…no." She lied. She giggled and then sat down next to him on a chair. "I'm so tired."

At that moment Alfons walked back to the table with the girl that Edward had told him to go to. They had been having a nice, warm conversation and even danced quite a bit the entire night. He noticed the both of them and laughed half-heartedly.

"You want a drive home, Julia?" Alfons offered. The girl who was with him frowned and looked a bit hurt. "Sorry Lisa, I should get my cousin back. Maybe we'll do drinks some other-"

"That's alright Alfons. I'll take her home." Ed said. "You need to have fun." Again, his big brother instincts coming into play.

"Ed…you're drunk too you know." Alfons stated cautiously.

"Not as much as her; and you know how I am. I can handle myself just fine until I'm completely drunk, which only happened once, and I'm not even half-way to my limit yet." Edward said quickly after noticing Alfons' skeptical face.

"Alright then, but be careful you two. And I'm not letting you take the car either. Give me the keys and I'll drive home."

Edward searched through his pocket and dug out the car keys. He placed them in Alfons' hand as he wrapped his right arm Julia's waist to keep her from tripping or falling, or both.

"Don't crash into anything!" Edward called back as he they walked out the main entrance of the restaurant.

Alfons knew that Edward was capable of taking care of himself and Julia. But he just couldn't help but worry for some reason.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I hope you guys liked this one, since it wasn't really as boring as the previous one. Do you guys think I made Ed a bit too OC in this? I'm not really so sure...but yeah. Oh, and a little warning, my next chapter is why this is rated 'M'. It has a little bit of adult content in it, so if you guys don't like that kind of stuff then try to read around it...sorry!!

Have a good week until my update next Friday! Thanks to all my reviewers!!


	7. False Passion

Hey...guys...uh...heheh...RUNS AWAY!

I'm just kidding, but really, I'm sorry about this. I know! You'll never ever forgive me! I'M SORRY! But umm, you should check out my profile because there's an important note about my current status. But for now, please enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Seriously, why do I even bother? If you're a lawyer and are looking for people to sue on this website: GET A LIFE!

R&R please!

**Chapter 7: False Passion**

It was a good thing that Julia and Natalie didn't live too far away from the church. Edward had finally made it to the front door and Julia was still a bit tipsy-turvy. Sure she was drunk, but at least she still held her sanity. Her words were way more slurred than his were, but he had heard some intelligence in her phrases. Either that or they were both drunk and somehow understood each other…

Edward realized he had no key, but he had remembered the first time he had met Julia and walked her back home. She had forgotten her keys and had reached over the railing for a spare. Hoping it was still there, Edward let go of Julia's waist and reached over the railing. He used his left hand so he could feel for the metal object, and sure enough, he could feel a key. He took it out and unlocked the door.

Stepping inside the familiar home, he helped Julia sit down on a chair before he went back outside and put the spare key where it had belonged.

"Edward…" Julia called out as he was stepping back inside.

"What is it?" He asked, hoping he didn't have to hold her hair back while she was in the washroom.

"Can you help me up to my room? I'm so tired." She asked. Ed nodded in response and locked up the front door before helping her up the stairs. He figured that he should lock up just in case anything happened, and Natalie wasn't even coming back that night. She and James had a honeymoon suit in a very nice hotel that night to celebrate their wedding day.

"Which one's yours?" He had to ask. He had actually never been inside her room even though he was at this house everyday for his piano lessons. But there was never a need to even go up the stairs until now. Julia pointed to a door in their left and he opened the door for them to get in. Her room wasn't as messy as his room, and it was bigger. Her bed was bigger, and she had an entire shelf for make-up and jewelry instead of his desk that was cluttered with blue prints and parts for the rocket.

He placed her down on her bed carefully as her hair sprawled out. He was wondering if she wanted to change into something else if she didn't want to ruin her maid of honor's gown while she slept, but she had pulled him down onto the bed with her before he could utter anything.

"Julia? What are you-"

But he was cut off from his sentence. He had no idea how to react, and he was sure he was blushing madly at that very second. His stomach did flip flops in his body and all he could do was gawk like a gaping idiot. Julia had kissed him, but it was just an innocent kiss at first. Edward jumped off of her and he was sitting up on the bed instead.

Julia followed him and got up as well, but she held his arm back as he got up off the bed and tried to leave.

"Wait, you're drunk, and you don't know what you're doing." He stated, trying his hardest to believe his own words.

"Edward. Please, I know you want this as much as I do." Julia pleaded softly. Edward stopped struggling and he was just sitting on her bed now as she moved closer to him so their faces were only inches apart. "Stay with me tonight." She had whispered seductively into his ear.

Without another word, she kissed him again. This time it was more passionate and this time, he returned it. He slowly closed his eyes as they both deepened their kiss. His mouth opened and so did hers, both tongues coming into contact. Julia managed to maneuver herself so she was sitting on Edward's lap. He used his automail arm to keep himself from falling onto the bed behind him, and his left hand was wrapped around her waist.

"Wait." Edward said while still kissing her. "We shouldn't-"

"Just shut up." She said and continued kissing him passionately. Her hands moved across his suit and she slid off his black jacket. It slipped off of him and landed on the floor as she began to undo his tie. The black tie followed the jacket, and soon after so did Ed's dark blue shirt that he had been wearing. She moved her hands across his chest and all the scars that he had received. And he let her do it.

Edward now had both hands around her waist and he kept his automail hand on her hip. His left hand slowly reached up her back which made Julia shudder. He had started to unzip the zipper on the back of her dress, moving it down her back until the small piece of material had nothing left to unzip. The light fabrics of her dress fell down to her hip and revealed a white corset. The lace and ribbons were sewn intricately into it, and the laces were tied tightly on the back.

Their kiss had come to a stop and they both gasped for air. Julia placed her hands on Edward's chest and urged him down onto her bed where he fell on his back. She trailed fiery kisses all along the side of his neck and collarbone in the most tantalizing way she could manage. Her right hand followed her lips as they moved down his chest and Edward gave out a soft moan despite himself wanting to protest. Julia trailed her kisses back up to his lips and she pressed her chest into his. She noticed that Ed was returning her affection, but for some reason it was very hesitant.

Edward followed Julia's actions as he trailed his own kisses down her neck and slowly moved closer and closer to the fabric of her corset. His hands came around her back and they undid the ribbons that were tied together tightly. He only managed to loosen up a few of them but it was enough to loosen the corset so he could pull at it. His lips sent kisses over her breasts before he licked her chest and his lips were on Julia's again.

Their kiss deepened again and Edward's tongue tasted every corner of Julia's mouth. She moaned in delight but Edward seemed dazed, almost as if he didn't know what he was doing at the moment.

"Edward…" Julia gasped in the middle of the kiss. "I love you, Edward Elric."

"_I love you, Ed." She said as she continued kissing him. _

_They held each other in a tight embrace as she pulled his hair out from his braid. She ran her hands through his hair and they kissed again. Each time it was more and more passionate than the last. _

_Those beautiful blue orbs that he would always lose himself in. It was like floating in water…_

And the emerald green eyes were like being lost in a forest…

And then it hit him. His eyes snapped open and he realized just how far this was going. He suddenly jerked up and he got up in a panic. He quickly headed over to his discarded clothes and put them on again.

"What's wrong?" Julia asked as she slowly sat up and stared at him as he buttoned up his shirt. Seeing the look in his eyes, her eyes fell downwards to her blankets on the bed as her head drooped lower. "Can't I be good enough for you? What's stopping you from loving me, Edward?" She asked slowly, trying to hide the small sobs that came in her voice. Even in her drunken state, she wasn't an idiot. She didn't know why this man couldn't love her back. Was it something she had done?

"It's not your fault. It's just that…" Edward tried to reason with her, but he failed. His shirt was no longer tucked in his pants, his tie wasn't even tied properly and hung loosely around his neck, and his jacket just draped over his body uselessly. "I'm sorry."

Edward locked the door as he left and walked down the streets back home. He couldn't believe what just happened, how could he have been such an idiot? So stupid? He had half blamed the alcohol for it, but he knew that wasn't the case. He had known the entire time what he was doing, how far they were headed until someone stopped. But for some reason, he just couldn't stop himself. He was hesitant the entire time, and didn't know what to do.

Finally reaching the apartment building, he walked into the small place that he shared with his partner. He hoped that Alfons hadn't returned yet so he couldn't see Edward in this state. He doubted Alfons would worry about him, and instead he would be more concerned for his cousin.

"Edward, where have you been? I was getting worried." Alfons said as he rushed down the stairs. He saw the condition that Ed was in and eyed him warily. "What happened?" He asked, not sure if he wanted to know the answer.

"It's nothing, just drop it." Ed replied harshly, but colder than he had wanted. He brushed past Alfons and went up to his room where he lay down on his bed, trying to get some sleep.

He hadn't known how much it would actually affect him. He hadn't even known his own feelings back in Amestris until just that moment. He had almost responded to Julia's declaration of love to him. He couldn't believe it. He was so close to answering back, but if he did things would have been even worse than what had actually happened. He drifted off to sleep, his mind still on the same phrase that had entered his mind at that moment.

"_I love you too, Winry."_


	8. Morning After

**Disclaimer:** I own this computer, some food, and that's pretty much it. Fullmetal Alchemist, you say? HAH! GET REAL!

**Chapter 8: Morning After**

Edward rubbed his temple as he sat on his bed the next morning. He didn't have too much of a hangover since he wasn't even half-way drunk last night. The emotions that ran through his head were what drove him insane at that moment.

He couldn't believe himself for what he had done to that girl. He had led her on, and now he didn't know how to fix things anymore. It was just so hard when Julia looked so much like _her_. The entire time, he hadn't been kissing Julia at all; his mind told him he was kissing someone else.

He stood up and rummaged through his drawer in his desk and pulled out a single photo. He was glad he kept this photo with himself at all times even when he was fighting or traveling. If he hadn't, then there would be no memory of home. Yes, Edward Elric was homesick. He missed his brother, and he didn't even know if he was alive or not in this hell-hole. Hell, he even missed that annoying excuse for a General after seeing his so-called 'identical twin' in this world.

And he missed _her_. Her paradise-blue eyes that he would get lost in. The way oil and grease was always present on her clothing from working on automail. The way sweat would pour down her face after concentrating hard on her masterpieces. That was what he called beautiful.

He smiled half-heartedly to no one as he stared at the picture. Alphonse, still as a suit of armor, in the back holding on to a newly found kitten that Ed had refused to take care of after the picture was taken. It was amazing how his dear little brother could show such innocence in that armor. And then he saw himself wearing nothing but his blue boxers and a black tank top with Winry right behind him with her arms around his neck, smiling for the camera. He had looked away smiling faintly, trying to cover the obvious blush on his cheeks that Winry had, fortunately, been unable to notice from her position behind him. He couldn't exactly call those the best of times since guilt was always etched in his mind at the time, what with his brother in an empty suit of armor. But he was definitely happier then than he was now.

Sighing, he placed the picture on top of his desk and left the room after getting dressed. He saw Alfons already eating breakfast and he sat down with him after he got himself a cup of coffee and a plate piled full with bacon and eggs. They had made a rule beforehand that whoever got up first would make breakfast. They both got up at different times everyday depending on their schedule, so it was constantly alternating back and forth between the two young men as to who cooked breakfast each morning.

"Good morning to you too, Ed." Alfons joked after swallowing his bacon. Edward just mumbled a low 'mornin' and continued with his food. He saw the expression on Ed's face and gave a frustrated sigh. "What happened with you and Julia last night?" It was a question that had been in his mind all night now, and he wanted to know. It wasn't that he didn't trust Ed with his cousin. Edward's expression alone could tell this young man that something had gone wrong, the only problem was he didn't know what had gone wrong,

Edward didn't even flinch from the question, and just kept eating silently. He honestly didn't know how to respond to Alfons. Was he supposed to say 'I was kissing her mindlessly and almost ended up doing it with her but then left your cousin there crying on her bed'? No, he didn't have the right in the first place to be doing anything. Julia was so drunk that she probably didn't even remember a thing from the night before, and Edward knew that she didn't love him. Who would actually love a helpless man with two missing limbs? No one.

He sat up and put his empty dish and mug in the sink before heading up the stairs. He decided that he needed a shower, and went into the washroom. After the shower, he'd head straight to the factory and work his heart out on rockets. After work…

Well he definitely couldn't go for piano lessons now. It seemed like a decade ago that he was sitting on the piano bench with Julia telling him what and what not to do. But in fact it was just a few days ago that he was practicing his fingers over the instrument. He had gotten quite good at it too over the past few months, but now he wasn't sure if he'd ever be able to play it again.

Cold water was just what he needed right now. In his reverie, he almost didn't notice the knock at the door, and Alfons going to answer it. He heard some voices, and then someone walking up the stairs. It was probably Alfons going up to tell him he had a guest. Edward decided to cut his shower short and dried himself up with a towel. It was moments like these when he wished he could still use alchemy to dry his hair, but he would just have to wait for it to dry out like every other normal human being in this wretched place.

He put on his clothes before heading into his room to get Alfons out of there. He didn't hear anyone go back down the stairs, so he knew for a fact that he was still in there.

"Alfons get out of my room already!" He shouted as he entered, but he wasn't expecting to see _her_ standing there. "Win…Julia?" He asked as she stood over his desk staring at something intently. He didn't know what could intrigue her so much since she had never stared at his blueprints so intently before. Then he realized what he had accidentally left there.

"What is this?" Julia asked; pointing at the picture that Edward just carelessly left on top of his desk. "Why…why does this girl look so much like me?" She asked again, but this time she was more frantic.

"I…I can explain-"

"Then explain!"

He was at a loss for words. How the hell was he supposed to explain this one? It wasn't like he had gotten in trouble and Mustang was going to lecture him endlessly for it. This wasn't as simple as that.

Julia looked down to the ground, and now tears had formed in her eyes. Edward just stood there at the front of his door, not knowing how to explain to her that she had someone physically identical to herself in another world. No one believed him when he said that, and pulling out that story now would just make things even worse.

"I get it. So is this why you've been so…so kind to me? So generous to me? Because I look like this…_girl _who you're obviously in love with?!" She shouted. "I came here to set things straight with you after what had happened last night, and I come in here hoping to talk to you and then I see this!"

"Julia…look. You were drunk last night, and you didn't know what you were doing. Let's just forget everything that ever happened and move on."

"Is that what you think of me?! Some whore you can pick up from a bar and then run away from?! Is that what I am to you?" Honestly, she dreaded the answer that might form on his lips. So she didn't let him answer. "It's either that or I'm just some stand-in for this girl you love so much. You're just using me until you can get home again to your world."

"What? How did you know?" Edward asked, now confused as to how she had known such personal information. He knew he wasn't that drunk the night before to let it slip out.

"Alfons told me a while ago. I know you're not from around here…but I…"

"Then you should just leave me. I know you hate me, so go!" He shouted. It was true, he couldn't answer her because everything she had said was true, and he hated that. How could he react when everything she said was true? That he was in love with Winry, and not Julia.

"I can't leave you! I still love you."

"No you don't." Edward mumbled, now afraid to look her in the eye. "How can you love someone like me? I've got two missing limbs and I'm a lunatic who's always dreaming about going back to a home that's impossible to reach." He growled out as if he was the most detestable human in this world. And maybe he was.

"You may have two missing limbs but you're not a lunatic. Your flaws are what make you perfect to me. That's why I love you."

What seemed like an eternity passed by. Julia still stood by his desk, and he was still standing in front of the door. They didn't move, and the only sound that could be heard was Alfons coughing.

_Wait…Alfons coughing?_

Edward turned abruptly and raced to the stairs. He confirmed that he wasn't going insane when the sound got louder and raced down the stairs with Julia right behind him. He looked around their apartment and saw Alfons coughing violently in their living room with a book sprawled out on the floor.

"Alfons! Are you alright?" Edward raced towards him, seeing all the blood that was now on their carpet. He placed his left hand on his back as if that would make him better. Julia was left speechless the entire time and didn't know what to do.

The next thing they knew, Alfons collapsed on the ground, barely able to hold on to life.


	9. Judgment Day

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist in any way, shape, or form. Get it? Got it? Good!

**Chapter 9: Judgment Day**

Edward and Julia sat in the waiting room. The tension in the air could have been cut with a knife. They were both worried about Alfons, but it was just so awkward being alone like this with each other.

Ed took a deep breath in and tried his hardest not to think about that. Instead, he needed to focus on Alfons. He had known that the doctor said that once Alfons started coughing up blood, he would only have about a moth left, and that would only be if he could survive that long. Would this be the end for Alfons? It couldn't be. They had been partners now for so long, and who else would he turn to after this? He hadn't exactly made a lot of good acquaintances seeing as how anti-social he had been towards everyone rendered him 'friendless'. The ones who he didn't isolate himself from were the ones that resembled the loved ones he once knew.

And dear old Hoenheim of Light has left yet again. That bastard; always leaving and running away from everything. This only proved Edward right. Ed knew not to trust that old man, and trusting him would only lead to that old geezer just running off again. And now look at what happened: Hoenheim of Light has disappeared and Edward had no idea of where he went.

Edward's head snapped up as the door clicked open. The doctor walked out, but Ed couldn't decipher the look in his eyes.

"Alfons? How is he?" He asked as he stood up. Julia had gotten out of her reverie as well and was now listening intently to the conversation.

"We did the best we could manage, but it was inevitable." He said. Edward and Julia both knew exactly what the doctor was getting at, but they were both so desperate to see Alfons alive that they still tried to hope for the best in their minds. "I'm sorry."

* * *

_July 2nd, 1924. Munich, Germany. _

_The sun was up. Birds were chirping. And everything else was as normal as every single day that passes by in our loathsome lives. It was supposed to be a nice day, and it was. _

_But it wasn't. _

_Again, I had let another one slip through my hands. If God does exist, then he really does hate me. It's almost been an entire decade, and he's still got me marked down for that day. Well, that's _if_ he exists anyways._

_I have never achieved happiness in the past ten years, and I don't think I ever will at the rate I'm going. But I still keep moving forward for some reason or another. Am I stupid or devoted? That question haunts me still. Ever since that day, that single questions keeps my brain working to find an answer._

_Everyone else will say I'm devoted just so they can make me feel better. They say such things so I don't feel like an idiot, and so I'll keep moving forward. But I know it's just deception. I'm stupid, not devoted. Stupid for ever trying, stupid for moving forward. Stupid to believe in the principle of equivalent exchange. _

_Have I really changed that much in these three years? I was dedicated to that principle three years ago, saying how I'd rather be childish than follow that chaotic doctrine. _

_And here I am, back talking at the one thing that kept me going all those years. _

_I think…I'm losing hope…_

Edward Elric stood there on the grass, not really knowing what to do. There were people in front of him, but he didn't really care. There wasn't anything left for him now. Alfons was gone, and he was the only person Edward had ever gotten close to in this world. Julia was out of the question now, and things with her were just plain awkward. No one else knew him as well as Alfons did. So what was he supposed to do now?

He was no longer a big brother. There was no one to look after now, and no one to stand by his side either. When Hoenheim had left all those years ago, his mom was there to comfort both Ed and Al. When she died, his brother was there. When Ed was thrown into this world, there was Alfons to catch him. Now that Alfons was gone, the chain came to an end and there was no one left.

James and Natalie Lawe stood to the right of him, and they both had pained expressions on their faces. Edward looked back to the gravestone and the picture of Alfons. He was happy, and his smile was so kind in that picture. Ed wished he could say he was happy. He hadn't been content with his life since he was ten years old. And even before that, he had wished his father had never left. Was this supposed to be life? He had devoted his whole life to alchemy and that principle of equivalent exchange. He had sacrificed so much, and hadn't gained anything in return.

Maybe it really was a lie.

* * *

_One month later…_

_August 2nd, 1924. Norrdeich, Germany._

There were quite a few people here, but it didn't surprise Edward too much. Ed didn't care what wars this world got into, just so long as he didn't have to be caught in it. That was partly the reason why he was boarding the ship to America.

There were so many others there as well. Women and children of all sorts, but none that he recognized. Not from actually speaking to them of course.

_There's Russell and Fletcher Tringham. That might be their father Nash Tringham. There's Nelly back from Resembool, and Martel with Greed, too. _Edward thought, placing each of those faces to a name. He wondered what Greed's name would be here. Maybe it was the same name he had when he was alive in Amestris. Ed didn't really care. After three years of doing this he wasn't exactly going to be shocked or anything if he saw a 'familiar' face.

Edward had heard that there was another project going on over there for rocketry. It definitely sounded better to be in America than in Germany right now anyways. Natalie and James were on their honeymoon, and he hadn't heard from them since the funeral, really. Then there was Julia. After Natalie had moved out, she kind of just disappeared. She said that she was going to visit another family member that she was torn away from during the war, but she had also said she would be back in a week's time. It had been two and a half weeks since she had made that declaration, and none of them had heard from her yet. Well, that's what everyone was telling Ed anyways. He knew that Julia just didn't want anything to do with him at the moment, and told everyone else to tell him they didn't know where she was.

Sighing, the horn on the ship honked loudly as he tried to board the ship. Everyone kind of pushed him aside as they all wanted to desperately get on the ship so they could get to America. No one wanted to be stuck on the harbor as the ship left them on the coast of Norrdeich. It had taken him a blasted five days to get to the other side of the country! If he was left behind now, he would probably end up killing the pour soul that was too close to him.

And the ship ended up leaving him behind…

"I can't believe this!" Edward shouted to himself as the ship left. It was already at full capacity and there were still people trying to climb aboard it too. They were all idiots in Ed's mind, and he sighed and walked back. He would just have to wait until the next one came in five days.

As he looked around, he noticed that there were actually only about fifty people left behind. Edward cursed since the ship probably could have fit fifty more people anyways. They didn't have to leave them behind.

"My, my. You all will be perfect for our great Fuhrer's cause." Edward heard a voice from behind him. It was a bald man that looked pretty chubby to put it nicely. But there were armed men surrounding everyone that was left behind on the harbor. The ship was already well out of sight, and before he knew it everything went black.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Okay, this will be the last chapter I'm posting, and this fanfiction is officially on hiatus now. I'm terrible sorry about leaving this on a cliffhanger, of all things, but this is what I wrote out so yeah...-cringes in fear-

Also, I realize that this is not entirely historically accurate. In fact...there are a lot of parts in this that aren't historically accurate at all. Take Germany's borderline for example...yeah, no. At that time period, the borderline for every country was constantly changing due to war, territorial disputes, treaties, etc. I...really need a break from my history class, so for now I'll leave it as-is. Perhaps in the future I'll change my inaccuracies, but please keep in mind it takes a lot of time to research certain events that have occured in the past.

Anyways, this is only a temporary hiatus, and I'll hopefully be back soon enough. I can't guarantee when exactly I'll be back to posting regularly, but I'm hoping to aim for my winter break. I haven't given up on this though, and I certainly won't give up on all of you; my loyal readers whom I am so grateful for! I hope you do forgive me!

If you have any questions, feel free to PM or better yet! REVIEW! Ahahahahah! Seriously, though, I'll answer anything you guys throw at me because I'm still checking my e-mail daily (I'm kinda forced, stupid history teacher...).

Well, this is good-bye for now. For now -winks-


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